The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1887-12-17
.LMAeE MAKING A SERMON.
Noted Preachers Methods of Pre-
narinnr q niaoo,,rss A ct.

Noted Preachers Methods of Pre-
pairing Discourse-A Crisis.
make most Of my sermons walking
'loor. l can always think better on
Ieet. l very often dictate sermons to
|nographer, and after he has written
bis notes read it over, and by that
have placed the substance of it
Ranently in my memory. l can
better standing before an audience
I can in the privacy of my home;
7 would be very unsafe thing, de-
'ing on the inspiration of the mo-
!. A minister will not do so unless
thoroughly lazy. My own rule is
TO go into the pulpit Oh upon the
|orm without enough ideas to occupy
time usefully, whether / use those
or not. No minister has a right to
before congregation unprepared, |
fialiy in these days, when through !
newspapers and many other forms of
button of knowledge the audience
happen to know as much as he |
idea is that if a man sits in his
and carefully writes out theologi- |
$say, it may do well for a review or
zine, but it will not interest con-
tion; but no man can lay down a
Tor others. Many are ruined for life |
as work is concerned by trying to
others do. Extemporaneousness of |
is best for some, and thorough |
manuscript is decidedly best for
The temptation which almost |
minister has felt who has acquired |
lcility in public utterance is to in
be. The extemporaneous faculty |
cen SO much talked about and ex-
that great many ministers have
Iced all their effectiveness in trying to
3ngs impromptu. Unless man uses
II good deal in the act of compost
e will soon lack terseness and COM
ess Of expression. l find that my
lays for work are Wednesdays and
Bdays equal distances from the
hth, and the morning of each day
h generally not observable; but
difficult to make an iron rule
hese cities as to when you will
|een and when you will not be
/ think Brooklyn is a first rate
for ministers. The people generally
a pastor in these regions to work in
wn way, and the congregations are
at and not unreasonable In their de-
Us,
began the ministry by writing out
ermons with great care, and taking
I manuscript into the pulpit and con-
g myself strictly to it. But coming
of a theological seminary with but
preparation in the way of sermon
rial, found the preparation of two
ons and lecture a week a complete
ical exhaustion, SO retracted from
habit and used no notes at all. Ny
experience in this new departure
marked and unusual. It was in my
be church at Bellville, N. ]. Find
hat / must stop the exhaustive work
l resolved on a certain
|ay night to extemporize. The church
ordinarily been lighted with lamps, |
nere was no gas in the village, but
rustees had built a gas house in the |
of the church, and the new mode of |
ing the ediice was to be tested the
night / had decided to begin my ex-
,oraneous speaking. The church was
aged with people who had come to
the new mode of lighting. / had
t ten minutes of my sermon In manu-
t and put it down ON the Bible, in
ing when the manuscript gave out
aunch out on the great sea of ex-
Although it was a
night it was very hot one for me,
the thermometer seemed to be about |
} 100 degs. At a very slow rate l
! on with my sermon, making my |
uscript last as long as possible.
ming within three or four sentences
hat had written and in great trepida-
as to what would happen when I be-
to extemporize, suddenly the gas
s lowered to half their intended size.
id within myself 'Oh! if the gas
Id only go outp' and sure enough, as
cred the last word of my manuscript
lights were suddenly extinct. said: |
,thren, it is impossible for us to pro-
Receive the benediction. / went
Q greatly relieved. feeling that I had |
rescued from a great crisis, but
resolved that / would break the
age of manuscript and be free man
e pulpit, and my habit has been to
mporize ever since. God has made
) books for pulpit texts-the Book of |
,lation, the Book of Nature and the
( of Providence. All these books are
red. Christ took most Of his texts
the Book of Nature -''Consider the
)" Behold the fowls of the air."
t is good, y GAS hen gathered her
kens under her wing" have only |
idea in the sermon, and that is help |
ass. Every man needs help, unless
e fool. In some part of his nature
some of the circumstances of his
ne needs Reinforcement. If men find |
,actical helpfulness in the sermons,
ers and singing Of a church they wsl |
here.-s'J. A. Mex in Brooklyn |
e.
To Stop Train Rohbing.
correspondent Of a Texas paper says
sstrain robberieS can verV easily and |